Generally, golf balls have been classified as wound balls or solid balls. Wound balls are generally constructed from a liquid or solid center surrounded by tensioned elastomeric material. Wound balls are generally thought of as performance golf balls and have good resiliency, spin characteristics and feel when struck by a golf club. However, wound balls are generally more difficult to manufacture than solid golf balls.
Early solid golf balls were generally two piece balls, i.e., comprising a core and a cover. More recently developed solid balls have a core, an intermediate layer and a cover, in order to improve the playing characteristics of the ball.
The prior art is comprised of a variety of golf balls that have been designed to provide particular playing characteristics. These characteristics are generally the initial velocity and spin of the golf ball, which can be optimized for various types of players. For instance, certain players prefer a ball that has a high spin rate in order to control and stop the golf ball. Other players prefer a ball that has a low spin rate and high resiliency to maximize distance. Generally, a golf ball having a hard core and a soft cover will have a high spin rate. Conversely, a golf ball having a hard cover and a soft core will have a low spin rate. Golf balls having a hard core and a hard cover generally have very high resiliency for distance, but are hard feeling and difficult to control around the greens. Various prior art references have been directed to adding an intermediate layer of core material or second cover layer to improve the playability of solid golf balls.
Golf ball manufacturers, however, are continually searching for new ways in which to provide golf balls that deliver good performance for golfers.